The invention as set forth in the present disclosure combines aspects of 3 fields: (1) web GIS software, (2) e-commerce for address-based datasets and lists (such as business lists, job listings, real estate listings, etc), and (3) local search via web mapping services (such as Google Maps, YaHoo Local Maps or Bing Maps). The invention also introduces time-series and 3-D (three dimensional) thematic visualization to the combined aspects of these 3 disciplines.
An audience for the preferred embodiment includes small businesses, analysts and local government professionals who have a need for time series-based datasets and visualization tools which present economic data in a spatially thematic way and also allow for data extraction and download via spreadsheets, pdf reports and GIS layers (or “shapefiles”). These professionals currently use a combination of techniques and technologies in order to achieve temporal-spatial analysis and data extraction. No single method, system, or software currently satisfies all the needs, forcing users to combine several technologies, thereby costing users both time and money.
Following is a more detailed description of related art:
Web GIS Services:
A web GIS service is a centrally hosted GIS database that can be accessed by most any web browser. A pertinent example is the SSRI “Business Analyst Online” tool, an on-line product of SSRI Corporation of Redlands, Calif., which provides subscribers with the ability to view, search and analyze centrally-served demographic and economic national datasets and services through a mapping application GUI (Graphic User Interface) that is accessible via most any web browser. Business Analyst Online's analytical capacity is limited however, in that it only offers business information for the current year, only provides users with the ability to specify a radius-around-a-point in order to run a summary, and only offers polygonal thematic mapping that shows data distributed at an aggregated level, but not a disaggregate one. The tool lacks more advanced spatial/temporal analytical tools such as those for time series analysis, 3-D visualization, local area aggregated reports for selected census areas, and combined point/polygon thematic mapping.
Other web GIS services such as the “Urban EcoMap” tool, a collaborative effort involving Cisco IBSG and San Francisco's Department of the Environment, provide aggregated area reports and thematic polygonal mapping, but are limited in that (1) they only show data at an aggregated level with no point map layers, (2) data are only displayed for one type of geographic boundary, usually postal codes, and do not re-aggregate for smaller/larger geographies based upon zoom level and (3) they are not time series-based.
Web Interfaces for National list providers:
Various National list providers (InfoUSA, from Infogroup of Omaha, Nebr.; Dun & Bradstreet of Short Hills, N.J., and Claritas from Nielsen Corporation of New York, N.Y.) provide web GUIs for users to select a cross-section of data based upon user-defined criteria and then to purchase and download the list via a secure e-commerce interface. Limitations inherent in the interfaces include:                No spatial component. The GUIs of the aforementioned providers are HTML-form-based, not map-based, and thus users must rely on naming fairly large regions (zip codes, cities) in order to define the geographic extent of the dataset.        No ability to see data before purchase. The GUIs each provide an interface with a linear sequence for purchasing data: users fill out a form and pay for the data before they can see what they are buying.        
Either one of these limitations can lead to users (1) purchasing more data than necessary because lists are priced by number of records and, possibly, (2) buying the wrong set of data, given that users cannot see the corresponding mapped data prior to purchase.
Local search via web mapping APIs (such as Google Maps, YaHoo Local Maps or Bing Maps):
All major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) provide web mapping services that enable users to search a map for local amenities near a chosen location. These “local search” map-centric services enable users to enter a business type or establishment name and see the search results displayed in a selectable point list and as points on the map. Users may select any point of interest and get more details about that establishment, such as contact info, menus, hours of operation, and links to other related web pages. While useful for finding an establishment to visit, these search engines are limited in what they offer analysts. For example, users are not able to download/extract a list of data points, cannot view an aggregated summary of the data elements, such as an industry sector distribution report that includes a breakdown of businesses, jobs and sales per each industry sector, there is no ability to do polygonal thematic mapping, and there is no ability to do time series or 3-D analysis.